Native American Tribe May Save Small Maine Town’s Only Grocery Store

It is kind of hard to believe that, here in Maine, we have 'food deserts'.  Fortunately, they are rare, but there are a few out there.

And, it appears that a new one has just popped-up in a small Downeast Maine town.

An article on the KJ website explains that the R&M IGA Foodliner in Eastport closed for the final time on Thursday.  The woman who owns the store had announced several weeks ago that she was planning to retire.

With the closure of this store, residents and visitors now need to make the trip to Calais or Perry in order to purchase food.  The IGA in Calais is about a 35 minute drive.  The store in Perry is closer, but significantly smaller.

Fortunately, it looks like a local Native American tribe may step up to re-open and operate the store.

The article explains that the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik is asking voters whether it should explore buying Eastport’s grocery store, which closed Thursday.

The store’s owner confirms the tribe has expressed interest, with talks ongoing alongside discussions with other potential buyers.

Voters will decide Tuesday whether to authorize the tribal chief and council to conduct due diligence on a possible purchase.

According to the tribe's website, the Passamaquoddy have lived in that part of Maine since about the time that the time that the ice thawed from the last ice age.  So, about 10,000 to 14,000 years.